Two new trains stuck together and my caffeine addiction...

[TomB]

When I get an early train from Limerick to Dublin, I normally have a bit of a need for some coffee (however awful it is).

The new trains on the Limerick Dublin route are two 3-coach railcars stuck together.

Of course the trolley can't travel between the two halves, so if I sleepily get on the wrong set, I don't get any coffee until Thurles (where they hump the trolley off one half and hump it on to the other half).

This makes me a bit cranky. So my question: is the long term plan to regularly stitch two 3-coach railcars together, or are they just doing that for testing purposes until a new timetable hits?

[sublimity]

I'd say thats annoying alright.
They should have ordered more 6-car sets, then they wouldn't have to stitch two 3-car sets together. It dosen't look right either

[sean]

My thoughts exactly, too many 3 car sets and too few 6s. I've thought that since the start. Better get used to it

[Colm Moore]

The 6-car sets will be targeted at peak loadings, 3-car sets at off-peak loadings. Dual 3-cars sets would hopefully be restricted to Friday /Sunday evening peak loadings.

[dowlingm]

Ideally we would see split services - for example leaving Heuston as a 6 car with the front 3 going to Carlow and 3 to Athlone - to improve utilisation of slots and platforms at major termini. Whether IE would ever do such a thing is another matter.

[Thomas Ralph]

That fails the Irish travel intelligence test, sadly.

[dowlingm]

When I travel from Toronto to Kingston for work, my usual train is a combination of a locohauled Montreal train and a locohauled Ottawa train (not sure which is in front - I get off before it matters).

This makes sense because it is a single deck long range train which is then occupying one platform at Toronto Union and not also a second one which is instead occupied by a GO Transit train with up to 12 bilevel cars with about 150 seats each.

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by dowlingm

Ideally we would see split services - for example leaving Heuston as a 6 car with the front 3 going to Carlow and 3 to Athlone - to improve utilisation of slots and platforms at major termini. Whether IE would ever do such a thing is another matter.

I can imagine complications on the return (this is Ireland ), if one half ends up waiting for the other, it is blocking the mainline.

[dowlingm]

Fair point Victor but they wouldn't necessarily have to wait, it would just be less efficient at the terminus to have two arrivals - a 25% movement reduction from 2 in 2 out to only 2 in 1 out.

[chris]

Originally Posted by dowlingm

Fair point Victor but they wouldn't necessarily have to wait, it would just be less efficient at the terminus to have two arrivals - a 25% movement reduction from 2 in 2 out to only 2 in 1 out.

Excuse my ignorance, but in this situation are both drivers timetabled to stay with the train even after it has joined? Otherwise I guess you wouldn't have the option for a delayed half to continue to the terminus.